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The Cincinnati Reds announced today that Edinson Volquez would be returning to the team after more than a year’s absence.

This is great news for the Reds who could use a pitching boost in the middle of the season.

Volquez hasn’t pitched for the Reds since last June.

In August of last year, he had surgery on his right elbow, and had to go through  recovery before he could even think about playing again.

On top of a major surgery, Volquez was found in violation of the MLB performance-enhancing drug policy last year.

Between having to serve his 50 game suspension concurrently with his rehabilitation and coming back to the game in the minor leagues, it has taken Volquez quite some time to make his way back to the Reds.

During his rehabilitation, Volquez played for two minor league teams. During his time in the minors, Volquez was able to work on his pitching abilities since his surgery, and did remarkably well.

Now it seems after all of his preparation, Volquez is ready to bring his talents back to his major league team, which could provide a needed boost to the Reds in the middle of their season.

In addition to already great pitchers such as Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, Volquez will help the Reds expand their base of excellent available pitchers.

With the addition of another excellent pitcher, the Reds will be able to sub their pitchers if one isn’t performing.

In the last series against the Phillies, the Reds weren’t able to pull off a win, and Volquez coming back to the team could help turn this losing streak around.

His return could help bring in a fresh perspective to the way the Reds are playing, and mix it up enough in the pitching rotation to bring more wins this season.

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The Cincinnati Reds were able to turn around their four-game series against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday night with a 6-3 win.

So, after losing twice to the Giants earlier in the week, what changed in this game that allowed the Reds to win?

For starters, the Reds did a much better job manufacturing runs. That’s the obvious difference shown by the final score. The six runs they scored were the most they’ve tallied in a game thus far in the series.

The Reds also did a better job of batting, and giving themselves an opportunity to score the runs they did.

This includes Drew Stubbs’ home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Jonny Gomes’ hit that scored two runs for the Reds in the seventh.

In addition to batting well, the Reds also received an amazing pitching performance out of starter Aaron Harang.

Harang tossed seven strong innings and fanned three. His solid pitching helped the Reds prevent the Giants from scoring more than their three runs.

On top of batting and pitching well, the Reds also did a decent job on defense. This stellar teamwork contributed to the Reds’ success.

One of the stronger infielders for the Reds was shortstop Orlando Cabrera. He played error-free ball, and had several song throws to the bases.

The Reds have had a rough start to the four-game series against the Giants.

If they play today’s final game against the Giants they way they played Wednesday night, they have a good shot at coming away with the series split.

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The Cincinnati Reds lead the National League Central in wins so far this season. With excellent players like Bronson Arroyo and Joey Votto, this trend is sure to continue throughout the rest of the season.

As of now, the NL Central standings show the Reds are leading with 30 wins. They are followed closely by the St. Louis Cardinals who have 29 wins.

As long as the Reds keep playing as well as they have been in this series against the Cardinals, they are sure to continue to pull ahead and lead in number of wins for the league.

Arroyo has contributed to the Reds’ standing with his excellent pitching so far this season. Last week he pitched a complete game against St. Louis. His win pushed the Reds to first place over the Cardinals in the division.

Also, according to MLB.com, Arroyo is one of the top pitchers in the National League this season. As long as Arroyo continues to play as well as he has, the Reds will continue to succeed.

Votto has also been a major contributor to the success of the Reds. With a batting average of .312, Votto is one of the top players in the league. He is also one of the top leaders in RBIs in the National League this season, with 33.

Even though he has missed the last five games due to an injury, once he returns, he is sure to continue to help lead his team to further victories.

With star players like Arroyo and Votto, and a whole roster of other talented players, the Reds are sure to see a great deal of success this season. The success they have had so far has shown the depth of the Reds roster, and is a likely predictor of how they will do for the rest of the 2010 season.

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